Nationality Japanese — Politics / former MP, energy policy

Masatoshi Akimoto

Also known as: 秋本真利

Updated on 10 November 2026

Politics and government Business and billionaires

Former Japanese lawmaker on trial over alleged offshore wind bribery.

Former Japanese lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto is on trial over alleged bribery linked to an offshore wind company. Prosecutors requested a six-year sentence on November 5, 2026. He and the former company chief deny the charges; no verdict has been reached.

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1Documented controversy

2Sources

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

2019–November 2026

2026: six-year sentence sought in offshore wind bribery trial

Formally charged

Prosecutors accuse Akimoto of accepting roughly 72 million yen in benefits between 2019 and 2023 in exchange for parliamentary questions favourable to Japan Wind Development. On November 5 prosecutors requested a six-year prison term and a financial penalty. Defence arguments are still pending.

State of the evidence: Charges and sentencing request verified; alleged bribery contested.
Legal status — source text: Criminal trial ongoing; prosecutors sought a sentence on November 5, no verdict.
Attribution: Allegedly accepting benefits in exchange for favourable parliamentary intervention.

Sources · 2

[1]
Jiji Press via Nippon.com6-Year Sentence Sought for Ex-Lawmaker in Wind Power Bribery Case5 November 2026News agencyHigh reliability
[2]
TV Asahi洋上風力汚職事件　元衆議院議員・秋本真利被告に懲役6年求刑　検察5 November 2026MediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 10 November 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

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Controversia profile, updated 10 November 2026. Latest version: https://controversia.info/en/fiche/masatoshi-akimoto